Believing
by Cookie Seller On The Dark Side
Summary: "Are you feeling scared yet?" No answer. "Do you still believe in helping your Jack Frost, he isn't even here to help you?" "I still do, more then ever." He smiled vilely. "Well, I guess we're going to change that, aren't we?"
1. One month in the future

**_Have you run your fingers down the wall _**

**_And have you felt your neck skin crawl _**

**_When you're searching for the light? _**

**_Sometimes when you're scared to take a look _**

**_At the corner of the room You've sensed that some thing's watching you  
Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have constant fear that some thing's always near _**

**_Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have a phobia that someone's always there  
Have you ever been alone at night Thought you heard footsteps behind And turned around and no one's there? _**

**_And as you quicken up your pace You find it hard to look again Because you're sure there's someone there_**

**_-Cradle of filth._**

_The room was dimly lit, with stone walls and red tapestries covering the walls, with scenes so blindingly beautiful the richest man would be jealous. There was brown, wooden columns scattered across the room as well. It had a green and red rug and a king's hearth with a small desk and lounge chair. Together, all in all it was a beautiful room._

_A buff, bearded man in a Russian red jacket grunted at the cookies on his desk with concern, prodding the odd slimy one._

_'Why are they wet?' He asked himself wearily, he shot the elves a curious look._

_"Vhy are the cookies soaked?" He asked slowly, his voice thick with a Russian accent._

_The elves shared a startled glance before attempting to run and bumping heads._

_The man sighed and slumped on his desk, it was time's like this when he missed Mrs Claus's cooking._

_A large hairy yeti entered the room._

_"Muh, meh moop!" The yeti said with urgency, pointing to the large doorway. _

_"Vhat's wrong in there?"_

_The yeti gestured to the door, and the man followed him out. _

_For some one who hadn't seen this before, they would have described it as spectacular. Heck, the people who were used to it would too. What, with its beautiful gothic windows and red flooring, striped green and red wall paper and a large globe in the middle with glowing lights on it. You see, the lights symbolize children who believe. Who believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Sandman and even the small amount who believe in Jack Frost! Yous see, the man was a guardian. His name was Santa Claus, but he preferred to be called North._

_He noticed his fellow guardians were there, it must be_ very_ important, North realized._

_Noticing the big man in red's presence, a bird like woman called Tooth- the tooth fairy- cried out: "Jack's been missing for days!" She said, getting straight to the point._

_Aster shuffled his weight. "The blinder is probably in trouble." He said with mixed emotions. Annoyance, anger... and worry?_

_Sandy nodded fearfully, a golden Jack Frost made out of sand ran around his head, the Sand-Jack was being chased by a tall man._

_Suddenly, Tooth gasped. "What's happening?" She squeaked, staring at the globe._

_The globe had a spot on it that was glowing far brighter then all the rest, it kept getting more vibrant by the second._

_The guardians covered their eyes,_

_"What on all of earth is that!" Yelled Aster._

_"A good believer?" Tooth said hopefully.  
_

_"I some' vhat doubt it." North grumbled, his voice muffled by the beefy hands covering his face and eyes._

_Then they opened their eyes, the light had gone out._

_"Vhat was dat?"_

_Then a shadow crossed the room and somehow the television in the back-round's volume went up higher._

_"This is a snow warning," the man declared. He looked at his fellow reporter. "And it seems, Mary, that Jack Frost is in an angry mood!" He and his partner Mary, suddenly began laughing. _

_Neither knew how true the statement was, nor did the guardians either, though._

_"Now, while we're at it, you don't need to worry about the missing girl who was reported lost earlier. She has been found, thank you." _

_Another dark shadow flew by, and the volume went off once more._

_All of a sudden a voice said gleefully, in a somewhat vile tone: "He's broken, now." And cackled._

_Then the darkness went away and light returned, but North seemed convinced the darkness was still there._

_He shuddered violently._

_"What was that all about?" Sandy asked in sign language._

_"I'm am not so sure," North said. "But," he gulped. "Vat shadow, I am quite certain, was Pitch Black," the other guardians gasped. "And when he was talking about 'the broken one'," North's expression darkened. "I think he was talking about Jack."_

**_What do you think?_**

**_Can I continue?_**

**_I'd love five reviews to convince me!_**

**_Thankin' you!  
_**

**_-An extremely pleased :Cookie Seller on the dark side._**


	2. Find Phoenix

**_You tucked me in, turned out the light Kept me safe and sound at night _**

**_Little girls depend on things like that  
Brushed my teeth and combed my hair _**

**_Had to drive me everywhere _**

**_You were always there when I looked back  
You had to do it all alone _**

**_Make a living, make a home _**

**_Must have been as hard as it could be  
And when I couldn't sleep at night _**

**_Scared things wouldn't turn out right _**

**_You would hold my hand and sing to me_**

**_Wish you may and wish you might _**

**_Don't you worry, _**

**_hold on tight I promise you there will come a day Butterfly fly away _**  
**_Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away _**

**_Flap your wings now you can't stay _**

**_Take those dreams and make them all come true _**  
**_Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away _**

**_We've been waiting for this day _**

**_All along and knowing just what to do_**

**_Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away_**

**_-Miley Cyrus, butterfly fly away. (I know it's a lot.. but it suits the chappie!)  
_**

**_One month earlier:_**

"Jake Ire Samuel?"

"Present."

"Ashlin Ivory Brooke?"

Silence.

"_Ashlin Ivory Brooke_?" The teacher repeated angrily. "Don't tell me she's late _again_!"

A flash appeared through the doorway and a panting girl collapsed onto her seat. "I'm sorry, Mrs Macmillan."

A exhausted-looking girl sat there. She had long dark black hair, slightly tanned skin, and big brown eyes with long lashes. She wore a rumpled red school uniform and camo-boots. Her eyes were lit up determination.

"Present." She- Ashlin- declared confidently.

The teacher sighed, but continued on with the roll.

"Psst!" Whispered the girl opposite her. They looked like complete and total opposites: this new girl had light blonde hair, bright blue eyes and bangles covering her arms. The only thing they had in common in looks was their uniform.

"That was the closest one yet, I _swear_ that she was about to announce that you're suspended when you burst through the door!" The girl murmured excitedly, showing amazed awe. "I mean, she was straightening her woman-tie which means: speech time!"

Ashlin rolled her eyes, but beamed in pride non-the-less. "Did you _really_ believe I'd be caught by Madame Mac-Fuss-Pot, Amanda?"

Amanda giggled. "You should be more careful, Ash, she looked really cross."

The teacher glared at them. "Silence!" She barked.

Amanda snorted and mouthed giddily: _Old hag_.

Ash smiled and went back to concentrating on the board- not the teacher. Then she zoned out...

Two squared is four.

Three by four is twelve.

Nine plus two-two-two is two-three-one

Four cubed is...

_Ring Ring!_

"Get out!" Shrieked the teacher, groaning at the remembrance of school again tomorrow.

"Bless teacher meetings!" Cried Amanda, she hurled her bag into the air and laughed out loud.

Ash smirked, then shivered. "I hate snow." She murmured.

Amanda gave her a disbelieving glance. "Seriously? Snow days rule!" She screamed, yanking up a pile of cold, slimy, snow and hurling it at Ash.

"Jeez!" Ash cried, dodging it by a centimeter.

Her friend continued slapping snowballs at Ash and questioned: "How come you don' like snow days?"

"Maybe it's because I have a thing against Jack Frost?" Ash joked, she yelled as a UFO hit her. It was a snowball. "Jerk!" She called to the unknown sabotaging person.

Amanda laughed happily. "You are _mad_!"

Ash grinned. "Mad awesome to you girl!"

They walked on, giggling.

"I am a multi-tasker." Ash declared.

"Why is that?"

"I'm talking, walking and thinking."  
"Genius." Amanda said sardonically.

"I'm not joking!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah- what?"

"I said 'Oh yeah'."

"No not that, mum didn't say we were having construction done to the house..." Ash said, pointing at the house which was in ruins. "In fact, where's mum- if she's out why's the car still there. And she hates walking in the snow. And why's dad's car still there and-" Her eyes widened. "We must have been bombed!"

"O.M.G." Amanda announced, her hand flying over her mouth.

"God! What happened?" Ash shrieked.

"I don't know," Amanda said. "I'm gonna find a phone and call 911."

"OK, I'm going in. Mum and Dad must be out... they must be." Ash, the poor girl, muttered, small tears forming in her eyes.

"It'll be OK, don't worry." And with that, Amanda raced off, as fast as the wind.

Ash just stood there. She was quietly hyperventilating in terror. Taking a deep breath, she began taking steps inside.

She screamed at the state of her home. Rubble and ruins was all it was. Legs from chairs and tables strewn around like broken twigs. The beds were sliding from their rooms and stuck in between a hole in the roof- you could see the pillows slipping down along with the rest: the blanket, bed-spring, and bed itself.

The sofas were obliterated, fluff coming from the springs, arm-space was covered in dust and ash. Ash found this cruelly ironic, since she usually occupied those chairs.

She screeched as the upstairs bath-tub came tumbling down the stairs- straight towards her. She dodged just as she had the snowball from Amanda- but this UFO could kill her. WOULD kill her if she didn't have good reflexes. She watched it drive out the extended-burning-doorway. She could bet her neighbour, Miss Keith, would be appaled to find a burning-bath-tub on her doorway or garden.

Ash went up the stairs, cautiously. She gave out a high-pitched yelp as one of the stairs cracked under her weight. She raced up, in fear of falling back down or getting stuck.

She went through the first doorway- the door had melted into nothing- and ran straight into a four-post bed!

It was her room, her bed hadn't gone out the door yet!

She looked at her bedroom, tears forming in her eyes, this could be the last occasion she would spend in her room. And she knew it.

Ash gasped and gaped. There was an envelope on her bed. Who from? Her mum? Her dad? Her assassin?

She wasn't sure she'd like to know- that is, until she recognized the handwriting.

"_Mom_!"

She gulped and tore the top open, tugging out a small slip of paper.

_My dear,_

_We are being **f**ollowed and watched **in** every location we hi**d**e. **P**lease don't follow me, **h**oney. _

_**O**ur lives, me and your father's, are at risk- as w**e**ll as yours. **N**ow, don't worry about **i**t. Find si**x** Mabel Street for now._

_Love, Marie Ivory._

_PS. HE will explain._

Ash only then let tears flow. She wept and wailed. She cried because she was scared and felt betrayed, what had her mother never told her?

Then she pondered over what HE was. And why were some letters highlighted?

Then she remembered her and her mothers spy game: "Dark Sunglasses", where you had to decode secret messages.

She took a pen and paper from her surprisingly intact drawer and write down the highlighted letters.

_F._

_I._

_N._

_D._

_P._

_H._

_O._

_E._

_N._

_I._

_X._

Find Phoenix? Where? Then she remembered, " Find Mabel street, for now."

Mabel Street... it was just two streets away.

_**Now, I made an exception since I love writing this. But now I need five reviews. NO exceptions.**_

_**Thank you,**_

_**-Cookie Seller on the Dark Side.**_


	3. Silent emotional trauma

_**Ah, four is grand. I'm so nice it hurts. We need another five this time- or four. Whatever works.**_

_**Let down your defences**_  
_**Use no common sense**_  
_**If you look you will see**_  
_**that this world is a beautiful**_  
_**accident turbulent suculent**_  
_**opulent permanent, no way**_  
_**I wanna taste it**_  
_**Don't wanna waste it away**_

_**Sometimes I get so weird**_  
_**I even freak myself out**_  
_**I laugh my self to sleep**_  
_**It's my lullaby**_

_**Is it**_** enough?**  
**Is**_** it enough?**_  
_**Is it enough to breathe?**_  
_**Somebody rip my heart out**_  
_**And leave me here to bleed**_  
_**Is it enough to die?**_  
_**Somebody save my life**_  
_**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**_

_**Is it enough?**_  
_**Is it enough to die?**_  
_**Somebody save my life**_  
_**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**_  
_**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.**_

**-Avril Lavigne, anything but** **ordinary.**

She stared at the card again.

Ash turned the slip of paper around, nothing was there.

_Ah,_ she thought to herself. She blew on it and waited for words to appear. They didn't. She quizzically put it in the undamaged- so far- window. The sun's rays focused on it and a few sentences appeared.

_Your father is in the car... don't upset him, I think he has a memory loss that my friend caused while disguising him... don't worry, it's not permanent!_

She worried about this. Ash gulped at the thought of using the stairs again.

_Uh oh_.

As she walked out the doorway- still no _door-_ she cast a wistful glance at her bedroom and and silently walked away.

_This one cracked, that one burnt, this one is safer to hop over, that one is OK... _She thought as she leaped down in ruined staircase.

She ran out the doorway, tears dried on her face, and she ran quickly to her dad's jeep.

She opened the car door, and shrieked, "a _CAT_?"

And so there was, a tabby to match her fathers hair. He was basking in the sun's rays- that is, until Ash began blocking them. This couldn't be her father... could it?

Same blue eyes, same ginger hair, and the same smiley face that her father usually wore.

Except it was small. Her father was human size. Which meant this was a real cat.

"Memory loss... disguise... not permanent..."

"You're my dad?" She muttered.

The cat looked up at her, purred and lay on his back, paws outstretched to the sky.

"Meow." He told her, this may have meant in cat language: _Pet me, _or, _I'm hungry,_ or even, _stop blocking the sun!_

She went with the easiest option: she moved away from the sun's rays.

"That better?" She grumbled.

His response was simple, he purred some more.

She grunted to reply. Stooping down, she picked up the large-enough-sized cat. She grumbled obscenities as she dragged the cat out of the car. He growled when she set him down on the ground.

She turned to notice that set upon the ground was her school bag, maths homework leaking free from it's tight enclosure. She didn't need to think twice. She strolled over to it at a fair pace and picked it up and put it upside-down. The contents- mainly homework- poured out like a stream. Poured out like a tiger released from the zoo.

She bent down and scooped up the now empty bag, she went back to her father and carefully popped him in the bag. She shouldered it and began walking off to Mabel street.

* * *

She found herself in front of a "For Sale" sign, it was covered in rude graffiti, curse words, swear words and messy scribbles. The date read, _1949._

The house itself was not much better. Shattered windows, the house number crooked and on the verge of falling right off of it, the paint peeling away into nothingness.

That can't be it, she told herself, the living conditions are only suiting for a rat, not a human being. But she didn't know the occupant wasn't a human being.

Feeling forlorn, she walked out of the gate and out onto the path. She sat on a bench and pondered the situation. A meow awoke her from her thoughts. Following that came a grouchy growl.

She took her father out and he shivered violently.

"So you don't like the cold, either, big guy?"

His eyes replied an obvious yes.

To Ash's distaste and anger, another snowball hit her.

"JERK!"

She whirled around in circles, but the streets were empty.

_Believe._

"I believe." She muttered, eyes closed.

She opened her eyes and shrieked.

There was a boy perched on the edge of the bench, staring at her. His face showed thoughtful amusement.

He had creepy, long white hair and big blue eyes. He wore a blue jumper, lightly colored trousers up to his ankles and no shoes. _Idiot._

But her mouth spoke before her mind. "You are a jerk, you know that, right?"

He blinked. "You can see _me_?"

She recoiled in surprise, her father hissed at the boy.

"Yeah I can see you, I'm not blind contrary to many beliefs." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. They lit up. "Do you know where Phoenix lives?"

The boy's face darkened. "That old sot?" He sighed. "He lives in number six. What is your name?"

Ash cocked her head. "Excuse me, what's yours?"

"Jack Frost, now you?"

"Pseudonym Anonymous." She said.

"Ha ha ha." He said, showing obvious boredom.

She put her dad back in the bag, slung it onto her shoulder and began walking off.

Jack-Whatsit flew after her. She screeched when she saw him hovering. "How did you do that?" She gaped.

Jack seemed confused. "I'm Jack Frost." Cue cat growls.

"Whosa Whatsit?" She asked.

"Ja-ck Fro-st." He said as if chatting to a young infant.

"An that helps... how?"

"You don't even know me- how can you see me then?"

"No clue, but I know I don't like it." She told him, yawning.

Ashlin began walking back to Number Six. Jack followed her.

Now, you must be thinking: How is she not screaming her head off or shouting "STALKER", but Ash was having a "Silent emotional trauma".

"Let me escort the young lady." He said courteously, he grabbed her hand and she screeched.

They began rising off the ground. Higher and higher, she could see the chimneys, the arriving stars and moon and the departing sun. The dimly lit lights in houses.

Jack placed her down.

She looked at the ground, then back at the sky then at Jack.

"Er- Thanks." She murmured.

"No problem." He said, he shoved his hands in to his pockets.

As he flew away, she walked towards the door and rung the bell.

_"What do you want?"_

**_I know what I want- reviews! Five of them! NO exceptions! Thank you!_**

-Cookie Seller On The Dark Side.


	4. Wanted list

_** Let's keep it clear what I need from you is just a little space**_  
_** Don't understand the goals I've set**_  
_** Or the choices that I've made **_  
_** Days fly by in the blink of an eye**_  
_** And I find that years have past**_  
_** Can't spend my life chasing expectations you've set.**_

"_What do you want_?" The voice bellowed once more.

Ash looked back one last time to see if Jack was still there, but he was gone.

"I am Ash Ivory and I am here to see Phoenix." She announced trying her best serious voice- and failing.

"Well too bad, Phoenix ain't here." The voice growled.

Ash stamped her foot angrily. "_Too bad, too bad?_" She hissed. "I didn't choose for this to happen- let me in!"

The door opened, there was no one around. Ash took a weary step forward and gulped at the decor.

Creepy cobwebs in each corner, each lamp and table. Everything. Old fashioned dark green sofas and rickety tables. A black chandelier was shaking and it's lights went on. In the shadows of the room, Ash could make out a black, tall coat stand. A yellow, orange and somewhat brown bird sat there.

Ash almost snorted at the irony. A phoenix-like-bird in Phoenix's house.

"Ya right took ya time." The bird grumbled.

Ash took a step back. "What in hell..."

The bird cawed angrily, and to Ash's great surprise, the bird morphed in to a rugged man.

Ash dimly remembered the Harry Potter film she'd watched last week at Amanda's. This man looked a bit like, "Sirius Black".

The same wild black hair, pale face, slightly hairy face, and tall height. But the eyes were different. Sirius had frightening, brown, mad eyes but the man had terrifying, flame-like, fierce eyes. He also wore a creepy black cloak. Ash took another cautious step back wards.

The man laughed. "Who are you, now?"

"Ashlin Ivory." She declared with false bravery.

"Ivory?" He asked with new interest. He sat down on one of the dark green velvet chairs and gestured for her to join him. She sat opposite him, crossing hr legs out of habit.

"Well, I s'pose your parents have finally came to their senses and ran, am I right?"

"What? And no," she said, taking the ct out of her bag. "Dad's right here."

The man remained indifferent, but musingly rubbed the cat behind the ears. "I'm Phoenix. Phoenix Autumns."

"_Your_ him?" Ash exclaimed in disbelief.

His eyes blared like a blazing fire. "Don't misjudge me." He sighed, the angry look slipped away. "I suppose I must explain?"

Ash nodded gratefully.

He sighed again. "Well Ashlin, I know your parents," he cut of the questions irritably. "They are..._different_." He smiled proudly. "Like me- and you."

Ash looked at him quizzically.

"We are... what you call: fire spirits." Ash gave him a doubtful look. "We have certain powers. Mine is more limited then yours and your parents." he said bitterly. "I can only make heat, you can do a lot of fire relating stuff. Your great-great-great-great, a few more greats or so, uncle caused the fire of london. And don't get me started on Caesar- not the emperor, your ancestor- with that fire of Rome. You guys are somewhat rare."

"Rare?" She asked crossly.

"Yeah, not like cats or somethin', don't get me wrong." He apologized in his indifferent way. "And well, being rare ain't easy. Makes ya talented in new ways. More strong and powerful."

"Who would need us, though?"

"Evil blokes," Phoenix shrugged. "Mainly the dark ones." He laughed at his own unintentional joke. "The very dark ones, they're so dark they're Pitch Black."

"This isn't a time for jokes." Ash muttered.

"I'm not jokin'- the idiot's called Pitch Black. Ya may know him as... the boogeyman!"

Ash rolled her eyes. You expect me to believe any of this." She waved her hands around frantically.

Phoenix grinned. "I can pro' it." Ash shrieked as his hands went up in flames, when the fire went away the man's hands were undamaged.

"What about the boogeyman- why would he want us?"

Phoenix's eyes burned with hatred for the man he spoke of. "Think about it, girlie. What conquers darkness?"

"Light." She whispered.

"And what provides light?"

"Fire?"

"Yes. Now, if you can imagine, Pitch is afraid he has some competition. But if he disposes of you he will be losing power. Hostages are simpler. And he could do with accomplices."

"You mean-"

"Yeah, you're on his wanted list."


End file.
